The Cyber Cell of Delhi Police, India, has arrested a Nigerian national, Patrick Ngomere, for allegedly hacking the email account of Family Care Pvt. Limited, a pharmaceutical company, and fraudulently siphoning Rs 11.73 lakh ($13,361).
Ngomere, who was also found to be residing in India without a valid visa, is suspected to be part of a larger cyber fraud syndicate operating across the country. According to Millennium Post, an Indian online news platform, the suspect confessed to the crime, as revealed in a report by the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
The fraudulent activity allegedly began on December 10 when the pharmaceutical company received an email impersonating its vendor, Accent Pharma, requesting payment to a new bank account. Unaware of the scam, the company transferred Rs 11.76 lakh before later realizing that its email had been hacked. A subsequent verification exposed the fraud, prompting an investigation by India’s cyber fraud unit.
Investigators traced the hacked email to Nigeria and tracked the stolen funds to a bank account in Manipur. Surveillance footage led to Ngomere’s arrest near an ATM, where his mobile phone was found to be linked to the fraudulent account.
Authorities have charged him under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Foreigners Act, and investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in January 2025, the Kuwait General Department of Criminal Investigation arrested two Nigerian nationals for allegedly robbing an exchange office in Mahboula. The suspects stole 4,600 Kuwaiti Dinars (approximately $14,918.69) before being apprehended within 24 hours.